As Opening Day attracts ever nearer, listed below are three issues we’ll be maintaining a tally of across the baseball world all through the day in the present day:
1. The place will Davis land?
The Giants reportedly positioned third baseman J.D. Davis on waivers over the weekend, seemingly signaling the tip of his tenure in San Francisco. The soon-to-be 31-year-old slugger gave the impression to be an odd man out when third baseman Matt Chapman signed in San Francisco earlier this month, and now he’ll be obtainable to the league’s 29 different golf equipment for the price of his $6.9MM wage in 2024. Since breaking out with the Mets throughout the 2019 season, Davis has slashed a stable .268/.352/.443 in 528 video games break up between New York and San Francisco whereas spending time at each infield corners in addition to left subject and DH. At the least within the eyes of Statcast, Davis made strides together with his protection on the sizzling nook in 2023, garnering +5 Outs Above Common after posting damaging marks in that class all through his profession prior. The Brewers, Cubs, and Mariners are among the many handful of contenders that would make sense for Davis in the event that they’re keen to imagine the complete freight of his wage.
2. Giolito’s second opinion:
Purple Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito, who signed a two-year, $38.5MM contract this offseason — the second season of which is a participant possibility — might miss all the 2024 season after being identified with a partial UCL tear and flexor pressure earlier in camp. Surgical procedure is on the desk, as is widespread with UCL accidents, however Giolito was slated to obtain a second opinion from Dr. Jeff Dugas in the present day earlier than making any closing selections on learn how to deal with his damage. He’s clearly an extended absence regardless, however in the present day’s opinion might decide which kind of surgical procedure is advisable (e.g. Tommy John surgical procedure, inside brace surgical procedure) or whether or not surgical intervention is required in any respect. Some gamers will go the rest-and-rehab route earlier than going underneath the knife, as surgical procedure is all the time a final resort, although it’s maybe telling that supervisor Alex Cora has already publicly acknowledged the potential for surgical procedure.
3. When will the front-of-the-rotation southpaws signal?
Final week, agent Scott Boras indicated that new groups have begun to test in on his pair of southpaw purchasers, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. The duo entered the winter as two of the highest 4 beginning pitching choices available on the market alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola, although that hasn’t stopped each from lingering available on the market at the same time as Opening Day is now a matter of weeks away. Updates on the southpaws’ respective markets have been comparatively few and much between, with Snell being loosely related to the Angels over the weekend whereas Montgomery’s reported negotiations with the Purple Sox hitting a snag over the lefty’s obvious need for a seven-year pact. With the beginning of the common season simply across the nook, will both of the duo discover a new residence within the coming days?